Council budget to face approval

A BUDGET for East Lindsey District Council will be approved at the end of the month.

Following a period of consultation with the community, East Lindsey District Council's executive board has recommended a budget to council for the 2013/14 financial year.

The budget if supported by council, will see the majority of homes in East Lindsey paying an additional seven pence per week for district council services, such as refuse collection, street cleaning and CCTV.

This increase, the first for three years, will mean services to local people can be protected, with the residents of East Lindsey continuing to pay the lowest council tax rate in Lincolnshire and one of the lowest in the country – around £1.75 per week.

For 2013/14 the council needed to find £1.6m in savings from its running costs to balance its books due to reduced Government funding and cost rises in utilities such as fuel and electricity. For 2014/15, the council needs to find a further £2m due to a further 13 per cent reduction in Government funding and inflationary costs.

Portfolio holder for finance, Councillor John Upsall, said: "I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to the recent consultation exercise, which gave the whole community the opportunity to comment on the proposed budget.

"Through rigorous budget management, the council is able to deliver the savings required for the 2013/14 financial year but in 2014/15 the challenge will be even tougher.

"Rural councils have been hit hard by the Government's recent funding announcement and for East Lindsey District Council we will need to find at least another £2m in our budget to balance the books.

"As a council, we remain focused on protecting services to local people and keeping council tax low.

"We will leave no stone unturned in identifying opportunities to do things more efficiently and effectively for the benefit of local people."